


Comfortably Cold

by boppgoestheweasel



Series: the dadschlatt collection [5]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: "oh so wholesome" and then BOOM angst, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, DadSchlatt, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Kid Tubbo, Maybe - Freeform, More Hurt Than Comfort, arguments with karens, is this ooc?, no beta we die like men, not my og au, quackity central, quackity is such a pta mom, the tales of uncle quackity and tubbo, told in third person view of quackity, uncle quackity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28414110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boppgoestheweasel/pseuds/boppgoestheweasel
Summary: Schlatt wouldn't change anytime soon. He was too comfortably cold.So Quackity decides to give the man some time to think, and takes Tubbo to his place to have fun for a few days while his dad sits at home, contemplating his life choices.
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Jschlatt, Alexis | Quackity & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Jschlatt & Toby Smith | Tubbo, No Romantic Relationships - Relationship, No Slash - Relationship, None
Series: the dadschlatt collection [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2080011
Comments: 51
Kudos: 507





	1. It's Not Fun to Admit You're Struggling.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'm unsure of how many chapters this part will have, but if you have any suggestions/requests, please share them in the comments!
> 
> As always, these characters are based on the characters in the SMP, never the real people! If any of the CCs mentioned are uncomfortable with anything I've written about, I'll delete the content immediately.

Quackity knew he had an alright life. Going to business school wasn’t cheap, but his family wanted him to succeed, so he didn’t even have to pay for it himself. He had his own room, his own apartment, his own things.  _ New  _ things that he bought for himself. He didn’t have a child to care for, or someone else to care for. 

However his longtime friend, Schlatt, did. And it’s not like he was allowed to pity the man.

Quackity wanted to help, he really did, but whenever he tried to buy Schlatt and Tubbo something, Schlatt would get upset and insist that Quackity shut the hell up about whatever he was saying. Every now and then, he was able to buy Schlatt lunch or dinner when the kid wasn’t around, which was a rare occasion, but he would take the chances he got. He also thought about maybe buying clothes for Tubbo and putting them in the closet without Schlatt knowing, but that was too risky, considering he was sure that the man would know the difference between new clothes and hand-me-downs. 

He assumed Schlatt did all that in front of Tubbo because he didn’t want the kid to think he couldn’t fend for their own family which… he couldn’t. But he let the man have his way. 

Quackity would always find Schlatt drinking, no matter the time of day. Never before 11, but always after, and throughout the rest of the day. And the days he came over early because he, Schlatt and Tubbo were going somewhere, the man would have a terrible headache from the lack of the toxin, because he would never allow himself to drink in front of Tubbo. It was terrible, and Quackity was lost when it came to what to do about it. 

He was getting better, though. Imploring Schlatt to only drink maybe a bottle throughout the day, and substituting water in between. It worked most days that Quackity was there, but he knew when he wasn’t around, Schlatt was tipping those bottles again. But hey, he would take what he could get. One step forward is better than none. Schlatt just wasn’t willing to make any major changes at the time, and that was okay.

His phone buzzed in the darkness of his warm room, and it continued to buzz until Quackity groggily rose from his sheets to grab the phone. His vision was too blurry to see the caller ID, but he answered it anyway, thinking it to be just some car insurance bot. 

It wasn’t though, no, it was ceaseless sobbing. Hushed, ceaseless sobbing. He jogged his tired mind to make out who it was, but it came extremely clear to him when he realized it could only be one person calling him at this time, pulling back his phone to see, which was 3:09 AM.  _ Dear fuck.  _

“Schlatt? Schlatt-” Quackity couldn’t understand a word the man was trying to communicate, anything he said was garbled by drunken cries.

All he could make out after five minutes of listening was something along the lines of “come over,” and “I can’t do this right now.”

Quackity was quick to act, despite the hour being ungodly, and he fetched his slippers and robe before running out the door with his car keys. Schlatt didn’t really live in a neighborhood. It was more of a space filled with homes. Cold, brick homes, but Schlatt made it work for him and Tubbo. 

When Quackity arrived, he took the spare key and opened the door to the home. It was so incredibly cold, the air was almost dead. The fire had been put out for god only knows how long, and he didn’t see Schlatt anywhere. He stepped through the door, closing it behind him, and set his bag down on the floor. It was his to-go bag, in case something happened to Schlatt and Tubbo needed to go with him. Sad that he had to think of it, really. 

Upon walking around the small building, he saw Tubbo’s bee on the couch, surrounded by loose blankets that didn’t pertain to a body. The TV was off, but the static and warmth from it indicated it hadn’t been off for long. He was quietly calling Schlatt’s name- the house was only so big. Finally though, Quackity walked into the kitchen to see Schlatt curled up on the floor, beer bottles littered around him on the floor. He was nearly unconscious, and he almost looked dead. Quackity fell to the floor, grabbing a hold of the man’s shoulder. 

“Schlatt, Schlatt, wake up man,” Quackity pressed, shaking him wildly. 

“Ugh… huh?” His eyes cracked open just a bit, and Quackity recognized that he was trying to make out the situation. 

“What the hell happened? Why are you on the floor?” Quackity already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from the man beneath him. 

“Sleep…” 

“No!” Quackity got on his feet, and heaved Schlatt up with him, taking him to the kitchen sink. He shoved the drunk man’s head into the sink, forcing him to bend down, and he turned on the cold water, keeping Schlatt’s head under it. After a moment or so, Schlatt cranked his body up, looking at the younger man with rage. 

“What the  _ fuck  _ Alex?” Schlatt fumed, wiping his face off with a spare kitchen towel that Quackity provided.

“You were nearly fucking dead, J! You have a kid asleep in the room down the hall, and you’re getting fucking  _ hammered?”  _ Quackity kept his voice down, but loud enough to be a wake up call.

Schlatt scanned the room, looking at the beer bottles on the tile floor, and how the contents of the bottles were all gone or spilled onto the floor where he used to be. As to be expected, he reeked of alcohol. 

“What happened, man?” Quackity asked, grabbing a hold of Schlatt, pulling him back to earth.

“I uh… I guess I just realized how hard this shit is. I mean, I’ve always known, but I just thought about Tubbo going to school, and it kinda got to me. I don’t know.”

“You don’t know what?”

“I don’t know what to do! I’m so tired…,” Schlatt ran a hand down his face, “I just want things to go back to the way they were. Before all this. Maybe I wouldn’t be so sick right now.”

Quackity brought Schlatt a glass of water. “You mean before you became a raging alcoholic?” 

“Yeah,” Schlatt laughed. “Yeah I guess so.”

“You can still help yourself, J. It’s never too late. You could always find some kind of life coach, or something.”

Schlatt remained quiet. Quackity knew he was too stubborn to listen to anything he was trying to say.

“Is the kid still sleeping?” The man asked.

“Yeah, at least I’m pretty sure. I don’t see him.”

“Thank fuck,” Schlatt downed the glass of water and retrieved some more. “He just makes me sick sometimes.”

“The kid? I think that’s the alcohol, not him.”

“No no, just the shit he does. I’m always worried about him, and I don’t like it. I don’t even have time to worry about myself.” Schlatt breathed.

“That’s what being a parent is like, man. Why don’t you let me take care of him for a bit? He could come home with me for a few days while you get yourself in shape.”

Schlatt seemed to pause his thoughts to ponder what Quackity had just offered.

“You couldn’t do it.”

“Oh, you wanna bet?” Quackity asked. “Cmon, it would be fine.”

“Are you saying you can do better than me?”

“What- the fuck? No! I’m trying to help your dumbass.” 

Schlatt scoffed, leaning against a counter. “Sure, fine, whatever. Take my fucking kid.”

Quackity smiled. “So… you don’t want me to take him? Are you  _ attached now?”  _

“Shut the fuck up, I am not. You’re just so damn persistent about it, it’s annoying. It’s too early for your mockery right now.”

“You’re literally the one who fucking called me. You’re lucky I even came, you could’ve choked and died or something.”

“I wish I did now.”

“Uncle Quackity?”

The men immediately shut up, their eyes going wide.

“Hey, kiddo! What, uh, what are you doing up?” Quackity smiled, going to pick up Tubbo, but the child ran right past him, right to Schlatt, where he hugged the man’s legs. 

Schlatt looked down at the toddler, who was crying against his jeans, babbling something neither of the men in the room could understand. Quackity watched as the older man knelt down, grabbing a hold of Tubbo’s shoulders before pulling him in for a hug. 

“A nightmare?” Schlatt quietly asked, and Tubbo nodded sadly into his shoulder. “Me too, bud. Me too.”

Quackity continued to keep his eyes on the duo as Schlatt pulled his son away from him. 

“You see, Uncle Quackity is really good at taking care of nightmares. So you’re going to have a sleepover at his house, alright? Dad needs to sort some things out here.”

Tubbo watched his dad with sad, tired eyes, not noticing the man’s slurred speech. A hand came down on Schlatt’s shoulder, belonging to none other than Quackity. 

“We’re gonna have a bunch of fun, Tubbo! Why don’t you get some books to read and your toys? I saw your bee over on the couch, you can’t forget him.”

“I say bye to Papa?” Tubbo asked sadly.

Quackity didn’t miss the look of sadness that crossed Schlatt’s face as well.

“Just for a couple days. You’ll be back to your dad very soon. Think of it as a sleepover!”

“Sleepover?”

“Yeah! We’ll watch movies and eat cake, and play games! How does that sound?”

Tubbo looked to his dad, who was leaking tears. He walked up to the crouching guy, and took his hands to his face to wipe the tears. 

“Don’t be scared, Papa, I have fun!” Tubbo smiled, keeping his hands on Schlatt’s tear streaked face.

“I know you will, kid.” Schlatt sucked in a breath, looking to Quackity. He gave a curt nod, and stood up, giving the younger man a pat on the shoulder. 

“Alright Tubbo, let’s get your things.” Quackity took Tubbo’s hand and led him to the back room, allowing Schlatt to be alone once again. He wouldn’t be surprised if he was never able to return Tubbo, whether Schlatt be dead or Schlatt says to just keep him. Quackity hoped it wouldn’t be either of those things. 

When Tubbo got his things together, after a long time of the kid telling Quackity what each damn thing was, he said goodbye again before Quackity loaded him up in the car. They didn’t have a carseat… Quackity might just have to buy one. He had every intention to take Tubbo to the park and out to other places, and he really didn’t feel like getting in trouble with the law. Tubbo and Schlatt usually walked everywhere, so he didn’t blame the man for not having a carseat.

The drive home was rather quiet, much to Quackity’s surprise, because the child had fallen asleep a few minutes after the drive started. He placed Tubbo on the couch in the living room because not only was it the warmest room in the house, but Quackity wasn’t sure if he would want to sleep in Quackity’s dark room. At least in the living room the fire was going. He made sure to cover him with a few blankets and placed the bee in his arms before going to the kitchen. 

Checking the time, he saw that it was now almost 5:30. Schlatt always complained about Tubbo sleeping only until 6, but since he had woken up in the middle of the night, he was bound to sleep in a bit, so that gave Quackity time to sleep for a bit too. But he didn’t right away. No, he stayed up, thinking about the events of the night while sitting at the dining table. 

Quackity knew that Schlatt had every intention to drink himself to death that night. He was lucky he was a bit of a lightweight, having passed out only after what he drank, otherwise he would be in the emergency room having his stomach pumped while his kid and Quackity waited out in the lobby. Schlatt had probably dialed his number frantically, not having any real intention, but luckily he made it clear that he was not okay. 

Now he had time to recoup, and Quackity was glad that Schlatt finally listened to him for once. If Schlatt had it his way, the kid would already be gone. But he knew that Tubbo was growing on Schlatt; he had to be. Three years now, he had Tubbo for three years. Since a few months after his birth. There was no way in hell that the man wasn’t attached, no matter how stubborn he was. 

Schlatt needed to change, but Quackity knew that he wouldn’t be doing that anytime soon. Schlatt was too comfortably cold. 


	2. Learning Curve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quackity takes Tubbo to the park to learn how to skate!

Quackity woke the next day to crying. It was funny, he thought, how he was usually waking up to crying these days. Whether he was staying over at Schlatt’s house after a night of playing board games with the father and son duo, or Schlatt calls, crying at 3 in the morning. Or like his current situation now, Tubbo was sobbing from the living room.

_ Shit!  _ Maybe the living room was a bad idea. He should’ve taken the time to set up a small sleeping area in his room so Tubbo woke up with a familiar person in the same room. He realized that Tubbo had never stayed long enough at Quackity’s house for the boy to remember it. 

He hopped out of bed, not even bothering to rub the sleep from his eyes as he made his way down the hallway. His house wasn’t huge, just a few rooms bigger than Schlatt’s. The kitchen and dining room weren’t attached, and there were three extra bedrooms; one was an office, one was a guest room where Schlatt used to crash, and the third one is storage space, where he keeps his old things in nice boxes, stacked on one another. Every year he goes through them, and dusts things off if needed.

“Hey, hey! Tubbo!” Quackity called, sleep still shifting through his voice. “You’re okay! Remember our sleepover?”

Tubbo looked around frantically trying to find where the voice was coming from, and then when his eyes finally fell upon the young man, he ran to him and hugged his legs. 

“We’re just in my house, bud.” Quackity took the kid in his arms and held him close. “I know you don’t come here often, but you’ll get used to it!”

Tubbo leaned into Quackity’s shoulder, and nodded tiredly. 

“Yeah, you must be tired, huh? Well, it is already-” Quackity glanced to the clock on the wall. “-10 AM. So I can’t let you sleep anymore, bud. But I have some plans for today!”

Tubbo looked up at the man in question.

“Yeah! There’s a park nearby, it’s one you’ve never been to before. I think you’ll like it a lot.”

“We play at park today?” Tubbo asked.

“We will! But first we need to eat breakfast, and maybe pack some snacks, okay? How about you go pick out an outfit from your bag?” Quackity pointed to the backpack that was sitting on the chair. 

Tubbo nodded excitedly, and Quackity set him down before going into the kitchen. He wasn’t sure what Tubbo liked to eat, but he remembered that Schlatt once mentioned that the kid wasn’t picky at all, and that he would eat whatever was set in front of him. But playing it safe, Quackity took out a box of Cocoa Pebbles and threw them in the bowls he had before him along with some milk. 

“Alright Tubbo, I have some cereal for you-”

When Quackity walked out of the kitchen, he was met with the child, who was looking straight up at him with a smile, heaving a pair of Quackity’s roller skates. 

“Shoes with wheels!” Tubbo exclaimed wildly. “Like a car!”

Quackity stifled a laugh, covering it with a cough. “Ah, yeah, like a car. Where’d you get those, bud?” He lifted them from Tubbo’s arms, and the boy sighed with relief overdramatically. Wow, just like his dad.

Tubbo pointed to the hallway, and Quackity could only think that it would be the storage room. That’s where he kept all sorts of shoes anyway.

“Oh, the room with the boxes?”

Tubbo nodded.

“That’s a bit funny. These are called ‘roller skates,’ Tubbo. You wear them and skate!”

“You move fast as a car?” Tubbo asked, his broken english able to be understood. 

“No, not  _ that  _ fast, but you can go pretty quick!” 

“You put them on?”

Quackity raised his eyebrows. “Me- me? You want me to wear them right now?”

Tubbo nodded, smiling widely.

“Um, well, right now we should eat our cereal, but then I’ll put them on. Okay?”

Tubbo squealed, running down the hall after grabbing his bee that had been dropped halfway; it seems as though he had been trying to carry it with the skates when he came from the room. 

“Hey- breakfast is this way!” Quackity hollered, sighing, which then turned into a small laugh.  _ Schlatt does this everyday? _

Quackity walked down the hall, looking into the rooms he passed, when finally he got to his room to find Tubbo bouncing on his bed, laughing loudly.

“Big bed!” Tubbo exclaimed in a fit of laughter. 

“That looks very fun, Tubbo, but your cereal is going to get all mushy if you don’t come and eat it right now.” 

“Awww.” Tubbo fell onto the plush bed, his fun coming to a halt.

Quackity hated to make him sad, so he internally said  _ fuck it,  _ and ran to the bed, jumped up and landed down onto the mattress, sending Tubbo straight into the air. The child screamed and laughed, coming down and hitting the mattress. Quackity chortled, picking Tubbo up from the bed and taking him to the dining room table. He set him down on a chair that he had placed a pillow on, and they ate their breakfast, preparing for the fun day before them.

“They seem to have… gotten a bit smaller.” 

Quackity couldn’t remember the last time he had gone skating. It was something he and Schlatt used to do in high school. Well- more of just him. Schlatt would tag along, poking fun at the younger boy because he thought skating was “oh so lame,” but it was a fun, energetic passtime for Quackity. Schlatt was more of a skateboard kid. That, and he knew Schlatt never meant any harm by the comments. They always poked fun at each other, still do. 

“I doubt I could even move in these now Tubbo, I’m sorry.” When he stood up, he knew his toes would be threatening to scream bloody murder at him. 

Tubbo had a sad expression that he showed to the floor. But then Quackity got an idea.

“Do  _ you  _ want to try skating?” Quackity asked, and Tubbo’s eyes lit up as he nodded fervently.

The kid stood up from the couch they were sitting on and he started to grab at the skates that were still very much attached to Quackity. 

“No kid, not  _ mine.  _ They wouldn’t fit you,” Quackity laughed. “We would have to go out and get you some.”

“Thrifties! Thrifties!” Tubbo hopped around with his bee. 

“Thrifties? Like the ice cream?” Quackity asked. 

“No! I like going to Thrifties with Papa! He makes lot of fun!” Tubbo threw his arms up into the air, falling onto the couch.

“Well, I guess the store is sorta like the shop by your house. Cmon, let’s get your shoes on. I need to get a few things anyway.”

At the store, they had tried on various pairs of skates, when finally they found a pair that fit. They left the skate store and made their way to the market, where Quackity got some food and snacks that Tubbo picked out himself, and he managed to find a carseat so Schlatt could use it as well. He had Tubbo for the next couple days, why not indulge? 

They left the store and went to the park. 

“Alright Tubbo, let’s get these skates on.” Quackity smiled, unbuckling the child out of the seat. 

“Yay!” Tubbo kicked his feet, grabbing hold of Quackity as he was lifted to the pavement. Quackity took the box the skates were in and pulled them out, to which Tubbo squealed excitedly over again. The young man laughed, closing the car door. Once Tubbo was steady on his skates, Quackity decided it was time to go to the smoothly paved pathways that were inside the park. He picked the boy up to save him from skating on the rocky pavement, and they went down to the actual park area.

“Okay. Skating is very fun, but we also need to be super careful. That’s why I also got these things.” Quackity held up the padded gear that he would start to patch onto Tubbo. “These are for your safety, so when you fall, you won’t get too scuffed up. Pretty cool, huh?”

“Helmet is heavy.” Tubbo held the plastic helmet that was now enclosing his temples.

“I know, but think about how strong you’ll be after holding it up!” 

Tubbo’s eyes went wide, and he seemed to forget about the weight and rather held his head up higher. 

Quackity wasn’t sure how to go about teaching a toddler how to skate, but he figured he would try his best. The kid was decked in safety gear, so how bad could it be? 

He started Tubbo out slow, of course. He grabbed hold of the child’s hand, guiding him along the pavement with some steady force to get him used to balancing. Next, when Tubbo seemed to want to stray on his own, a sign that he was more comfortable with the sport, Quackity let go of his hand and sent him to the wall that lined one side of the sidewalk. He told Tubbo to keep his hands on the wall until he was ready to let go of it. Quackity let the boy set his own pace, and in no time, Tubbo was skating on his own. Sure, he wasn’t the great at it, and he was rather wobbly, but Quackity took pride in how fast the kid learned. It only was about an hour before Tubbo was completely off the wall. 

“Is that your boy?” Quackity was pulled from his thoughts as a mother from the park came up to talk to him.

“Huh? Oh, no. He’s my friend’s kid. I’m just watching him for a few days.” Quackity smiled, looking on at Tubbo who was still adjusting to life on wheels.

“Oh, that’s rather nice of you. Did his parents go on an ‘adults only’ vacation?” The woman asked, smiling.

“Haha, no no. His dad hasn’t been feeling it lately, yknow?” Quackity debated on whether he should be having this conversation with this random lady or not.

“He… just gave off his kid? That’s not a great thing to do.” 

“Well, it’s not like I’m some random person.”

“You don’t see me giving my daughter off to my best friend though, do you?”

“Excuse me  _ ma’am,  _ maybe you have your life in order. Some of us don’t.”

“That’s very bold of you to assume. I’m just a good parent.”

“You know-” Quackity turned to the woman. “My friend works his  _ ass off all night  _ to care for this gremlin, and I know it’s not easy. He is a  _ great dad.  _ He… he’s really trying his best.” He breathed. “And if you-”

Their argument was interrupted by a shrill cry from who Quackity could only assume was Tubbo, that maybe he fell down or something, but instead he was down on the ground next to a girl who was standing beside him. 

“Tubbo! What happened?” Quackity made his way over, and he picked the child up in his arms.

“She pushed me!”

“Did not!” The girl whined, looking to the woman Quackity was talking to just seconds earlier. 

“Is this your daughter?” Quackity asked. 

“As a matter of fact, she  _ is.”  _ The woman turned back to her child. “What happened, sweety?”

“That boy bit me!”

“Oh bullshit!” Quackity exclaimed, and Tubbo hid his smile in the crook of Quackity’s neck as the woman gasped. “Proof or it didn’t happen.”

“You are such a child,” the woman scoffed, looking her daughter over.

“Okay uh, listen lady, my kid was on the floor, and yours was standing up in front of him. How does that look?”

“I didn’t do anything!” The girl pouted. 

“Then where’s the bite mark then? Huh? Where is it?” Quackity pushed.

The girl was speechless, and her mom didn’t seem to find any marks that indicated a bite. The woman took the girl’s hand and she shot Quackity a dirty look before quietly scolding the girl.

“Yeah yeah, next time at least make fake proof!” Quackity called out. “And teach your child how to be nice! Jesus!”

Quackity looked to Tubbo, who was still hiding his face. When he beckoned the kid to explain what happened, he was met with tears.

“I didn’t do nothing.” Tubbo said. It was a double negative, but Quackity knew what he actually meant.

“I know you didn’t, bud. Are you hurt?” 

Tubbo pointed to his heart, and Quackity took that as meaning that his feelings were hurt. Did Schlatt teach him to do that? To point to his heart when he was upset?

“No blood?” Quackity asked.

Tubbo shook his head, wiping his tears away.

“Okay, good. Let’s just go home pal, that lady really ruffled my feathers.”

“No more skating?” Tubbo asked sadly.

“Not here at least. Hey, we can skate outside the house. How does that sound?” Quackity carried Tubbo back to the car, and set him in the car seat.

“Yeah!” Tubbo nodded. “I like that!”

You see, Quackity didn’t pry the child for the story, because he already figured it out. It was a common case of “oh this kid younger than me looks like he’s learning something new and is kind of bad at it, so let’s make him suffer.” He wasn’t mad at the girl necessarily, it was more on the parent’s part. So technically, Schlatt wasn’t  _ terribly cold,  _ because Tubbo would never do something like that to someone else.

So the man was doing _something_ right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh.... that lady. >:(
> 
> Any requests? Suggestions? Leave em in the comments! I love to hear them and write them <3 still unaware of how many chapters this will be, but if I get requests, they're bound to be multiplied!


	3. The Mind Rolls and Rolls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sad Schlatt filler episode that you didn't expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad that I don't have a beta reader because they would laugh at the way I am just. Absolutely speedrunning this part of the fic. The chapters are just so fun to write, and I want to get them out there! And if that means speedrunning it through the night, I suppose that's what it means.

Schlatt found himself to be rather lonely in the time that Tubbo was gone.

It had only been two days, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling of emptiness. He wasn’t stepping on old legos all the time, and he wasn’t preparing meals for anyone else. He was so used to Quackity being over to help care for Tubbo, and when he wasn’t over, it was almost as if something was out of place. Now that they’re both not around it’s a bit strange for the man.

Waking up at 11 in the morning, and not feeling the urge to have a drink so early in the day since he hadn’t been up for the last five hours. No headaches until later in the day. And he knew that the headaches weren’t Tubbo’s fault, no, it was the lack of alcohol. When you’re asleep, your mind doesn’t ponder what it could be drinking. 

He missed Tubbo’s presence more than he enjoyed it being gone, though. He wouldn’t admit it, but he definitely noticed the absence of the little snot. No bee plush on the couch that a small kid would come out and take back for himself, no loud squealing when the TV was on, even if it was just news. None of the stuff that Schlatt became accustomed to. 

What he  _ would  _ admit is that it was very nice being able to sleep a whole eight hours after he got home from work. During the day he was able to clean the house and make Tubbo’s room just a bit more presentable. He nailed up some shelves and he even found a few new books at the thrift store across the way. He set the cot that he had in Tubbo’s room for when he would sleep in there when Quackity took the couch to the side, and rearranged the furniture in the small room, switching things up just a bit. 

_ Maybe Tubbo would like it all.  _

Schlatt cursed himself internally for thinking so much about the child. He wasn’t sure what he expected- but it definitely wasn’t to be missing his son. He thought he would feel free and unstoppable, like he did before he had a kid to take care of. Now he just felt lonely; the cold walls of the house no longer listened to a child’s laugh. They, too, appeared sad and desolate. The empty house resonated within the man who sat within the walls, slowly withering away each passing day. He thought he would feel better, he really did.

So he couldn’t stop himself when he poured a glass of whiskey at 4PM. As a child himself he always thought he would be so proud and happy living alone, that no one could tie him down and that he would be independent forever. That obviously changes when you have a little kid running around the house for three and a half years. And it’s damaging when the little kid leaves, almost.

_ Almost.  _ Schlatt took a sip of his whiskey.  _ He needs to have a good life though.  _

And honestly, that's what the man’s point really was. To give Tubbo a good life, and he wouldn’t be able to do that. It’s not like he could call Quackity everyday for the next 18 years; he had business school and such to attend to. Luckily it was online, but Schlatt knew Quackity had big plans for his future, he couldn’t do that to him just so he could have it easy. 

Throughout the day, Schlatt was thinking about calling the slightly younger man, telling him to come over for dinner with the kid, that he would prepare a nice one; he had told himself not to. But after that glass of whiskey, he couldn’t help himself. Not because he was tipsy, but he was restless. Restless and tired at the same time. Tired of thinking about how lonely he was. 

The phone rang three times before the familiar voice picked up, and it was such a comfort to hear. But behind it, there was laughter and a din of voices.

“Hey man! What’s up? Having a party?” Quackity asked, completely oblivious to the stale presence of people in Schlatt’s home.

“Ha, no, no I’m not. It sure sounds like you are, though.” Schlatt spoke, trying to sound lighthearted.

“Oh yeah! No, this isn’t a party but it’s pretty close! I hope you don’t mind, I took Tubbo out to eat at a diner nearby my place. Say hi, Tubbo.”

“Hi Papa!” Schlatt felt his heart ache, and he tried to shake the feeling but found himself incapable to. 

“Hey, bud, how’s it going?” He asked, ignoring how the walls screamed at him to tell Quackity to forget it, to bring his kid back.

“Good! Uncle Quackity ordered a burger! And I gots one too!” Schlatt could hear the smile in Tubbo’s voice. 

“That’s real great, kid. Remember that I…” Schlatt paused for a moment. “I… uh, don’t be too loud for Uncle Quackity, okay?”

“Okay!” He heard a small ‘may I have the phone back?’ from Quackity before he was passed over. 

“Did you need something?” Quackity asked, concerned. “You okay?”

“What? Oh yeah, yeah I’m just fine.” The walls were so incredibly loud. Ridiculous. “I’ll see you guys soon, yeah?”

“Yeah man! If you want him back sooner than five days, I can give him back. Don’t forget that.” They were talking of Tubbo as if he was a shared Pokemon card.

“Sure, sure. You guys have a good time. Don’t kill my fucking kid.” And with that, Schlatt hung up, unable to hear the soft laughter from his toddler on the other side of the line. It physically hurt.

Quackity was clearly doing a good job of being a supervisor. He had money, he knew where to go, and he was just good with kids. Schlatt, on the other hand, lived paycheck to paycheck, only took Tubbo to a few places, and he wasn’t the best when it came to watching his mouth around Tubbo… then again, Quackity probably wasn’t either. They were even there.

The walls remained unentertained as Schlatt sat down and poured himself another glass of the good stuff. He loathed how much he missed his son, and he loathed himself for loathing how much he missed his son. Why couldn’t he be like other dads? Why couldn’t he be like Quackity? Money, calmness… the dude had it all. Mostly because he was able to work all day when he wasn’t caring for Schlatt’s kid. Quackity worked 9-5 in retail four days a week, and since he only had to care for himself, and his family was paying for business school, he had no reason to spend money all that much. He also didn’t buy alcohol every two-three weeks.

So he did what he usually did. He drank, but this time it was for a different reason.

Not only was he a shit dad, but he had an awesome friend that he failed to appreciate more. That and he was pissed that he missed his son even though he had only been out of the house for two days. He needed to beef himself up to get rid of the kid for good one of these days. He would get used to it. He would  _ have  _ to. For Tubbo. Tubbo deserved better, obviously.

Tubbo never took life from Schlatt, he realized, he  _ gave  _ it to him. 


	4. Pequeñas Enseñanzas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quackity teaches Tubbo a bit of Spanish!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! this was a request from the lovely user Lawhiteconchita!! always gracing me with the best ideas... 
> 
> I should also say that I'm in no way a fluent Spanish speaker, as English is my first language, but I do know a bit! So I tried my very best, as always :) I also actually had a beta reader who speaks Spanish to read this through and help me with it! so a huge thank you to them :)

It was the fourth day that Quackity had Tubbo. Tubbo had started to miss his dad, and ever since Schlatt called two nights ago, he insisted that he called Schlatt and told him goodnight. Everytime Schlatt answered the phone, his voice was soft and he seemed to enjoy the phone calls. Tubbo did as well; it prevented him from crying himself to sleep, which Quackity found out he was doing the first night that Schlatt called. 

_ “Why don’t we call him tomorrow night too? That way you can tell him goodnight.” _

Tubbo had nodded and wouldn’t let go of the hug Quackity embraced him in. It had only been two days at the time but a toddler was bound to miss their parents. Even if the parents in question think that they’re awful. 

That morning, Quackity’s mom had called, and since Spanish was his family’s first language they would usually communicate with it. That and, well, his mom never cared to learn English. She always said it was too complicated, which Quackity knew was absolutely true. He was fortunate enough to grow up around both languages, so he was fluent in both. 

“-no Amá... sí estoy bien, tengo un niño conmigo... no no, no es  _ mío _ , es el hijo de Schlatt... sí estoy cuidando por un tiempo…”

Quackity didn’t know that the child that was mentioned was standing right in the kitchen where he was speaking. It was 8 in the morning- he hadn’t even expected Tubbo to be awake right now.

“Amá ya me voy el niño creo mi atención….. Nonono todo está bien, si.... Si.... okay… bye. ”

Quackity set down the phone and turned to Tubbo, giving him his full attention.

“What’s wrong, kiddo? Did I wake you up? Sorry for talking so loud.”

Tubbo’s eyes were wide, and he had a goofy smile on his face. 

“You can talk cool!!” Tubbo squealed, pointing up at the man.

“I-” Quackity laughed, “Yeah! Well, it’s a different language. It’s called Spanish.”

“I can’t do that.” Tubbo frowned, realizing that he only knew how to speak English. Well, Quackity didn’t think he knew if he could learn different languages or not.

“Maybe not now! But you can definitely learn.” Quackity patted the kid’s head and picked him up, setting him at the table.

“I can learn?” Tubbo tilted his head to the side, watching Quackity as he gathered bowls from the cupboards. 

“Si chamaco!” Quackity grabbed the Cocoa Pebbles from the pantry. 

“See what?” Tubbo asked, looking around.

“No, Tubbo, ‘si’ means ‘yes’ in Spanish!”

“Oh,” Tubbo gaped, before repeating, “si!”

“Yes! Si, very good! ¡Muy bien!” 

Tubbo smiled wide as Quackity set the bowl of cereal in front of him.

“Cocoa Pebbles, that’s what’s in your cuenco. Your bowl.”

“Quaint- Co?” Tubbo spoke unsurely.

“Close! No ‘t’ sound.  _ Cuenco.” _

“ _ Cuenco _ ?” Tubbo tapped his bowl.

“Si! ¡Muy bien, muy bien!” Quackity cheered.

Tubbo smiled, picking up his spoon.

“What’s this?”

“Un cuchara,” Quackity explained. 

“Un?” Tubbo looked at the spoon.

“No no,  _ cuchara  _ means spoon. I told you that that’s what it means in a full sentence.  _ Un cuchara.” _

Tubbo’s mouth made an ‘o’ and he started to eat. Quackity hoped he was doing an okay job of explaining a new language- he had never taught anyone how to speak Spanish before. Neither has the author, they just speak it a bit.

“We learn more language?” Tubbo asked as they sat at the couch after eating their breakfasts.

“More languages? I only know two, buddy.” Quackity laughed, cursing himself for not taking that German class in high school. That would’ve been so damn cool.

“No, more language!” Tubbo pointed to the man, smiling.

“Oh! More Spanish?” 

Tubbo nodded. “Spanish!”

“Okay, uh, what do you wanna know?” 

“Spanish.”

“No kidding, what  _ words  _ do you want to know?”

“Hmmm…” Tubbo hummed in thought. “My name!” 

“Tubbo.”

“No… in Spanish!” Tubbo laughed.

“It is! Names in Spanish don’t usually change unless there’s a Spanish equivalent. For yours, there isn’t one.”

“Oh, cool!” Tubbo clapped.

Tubbo’s smile warmed Quackity’s heart. He was teaching him so many things! Maybe it would stick, maybe it wouldn’t. Either way, Tubbo seemed to be having fun.

Over the next hour or so, Tubbo was thoroughly entertained by the process. Pointing to things, Quackity said the Spanish word for it, and then the boy repeated it as best as he could. With each new word learned, praise was given; Quackity wished he had Scooby Snacks to throw to the kid when he said a word right. He was similar to an excited puppy. 

Tubbo was a fast learner, whether it be skating or speaking a different language. No, he wasn’t speaking full coherent sentences even in English yet, so he was barely speaking sentences in Spanish. But he got Tubbo used to the names of objects so that he could continue to learn as he stayed with Quackity. He would no longer call the couch a “couch” in front of Tubbo. No, he could call it a sofá. He didn’t ask Tubbo if he needed to use the bathroom, but instead asked,  _ “tienes que ir al baño?”  _ to which Tubbo would reply with either “no” or “si.” 

Sometimes, Tubbo would say he knew the word for something, and Quackity would ask what it was; it was nonsense. It wasn’t ever a word, just something Tubbo made up. 

“No, I don’t think that’s it. I’m pretty sure it’s  _ alfombra.” _

“Oh, I think of something else.” Tubbo would shrug his shoulders and shake his head; it made Quackity laugh.

“You can write in Spanish too?” Tubbo asked later in the day while Quackity was making dinner for him and Tubbo. The boy had a piece of paper and a crayon in his hands.

“Oh, of course! My mom sends me written letters all the time.” Quackity turned down the stove’s heat so he could talk to the child without worrying about burning something.

“Hmm, how you writing ‘I love you papa?’” Tubbo asked, sitting at the table, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

_ He’s making something for Schlatt?  _ Quackity thought,  _ That’s fucking cute. _

“Umm, well you would write  _ ‘te amo, papá.’  _ Do you need help spelling it?”

“No, I gots it!” Tubbo said, scribbling down on the piece of paper. 

Quackity smiled and turned back to the meal he was preparing. He was so used to being at Schlatt’s for dinner; Schlatt couldn’t cook for shit, so Quackity would bring ingredients over and make dinner for the three of them. No, Quackity wasn’t the best cook either, but he was at least better than Schlatt. Frozen lasagna from the corner store probably wasn’t the best for Tubbo to eat every single night.

“How’s this?” 

Quackity turned around to look at Tubbo, who was holding the piece of paper up in the air. A picture of what seemed to be him, Quackity, and Schlatt was drawn, and a bunch of scribbles surrounded it… Tubbo didn’t quite know how to write anything yet. Quackity would have to explain what Tubbo was  _ trying  _ to write to Schlatt. Hey, it’s the thought that counts. 

The rest of the night was more quiet than the whole day had been. Tubbo was tired from being so excited all day, and Quackity just decided to put on a movie that they would both enjoy- well, Tubbo more than him. Yeah, maybe Disney was timeless, but it really wasn’t Quackity’s thing.

Before Tubbo went to bed, Quackity dialed Schlatt’s number and gave the phone to the child so he could wish him a goodnight. He started the call with “Hola papa!” and Schlatt was a bit surprised at his son’s knowledge of the different language. Quackity’s heart melted as Tubbo explained how his Uncle Quackity taught him how to speak Spanish. He was just so damn excited about it, it was cute. 

When the call ended, Quackity read one of Tubbo’s books that he brought along with him to him, and before the book was over, the kid was asleep. 

Quackity was proud of how much he had been teaching Tubbo for the past few days. He hoped it would stick. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any requests/suggestions? Leave them in the comments!! Writing them is always fun <3


	5. Tubbo Goes Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second Schlatt-central chapter that completes this part of the series! Just more of Schlatt denying his love for his child. sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always start out thinking that I'll be making short chapters, but then they come out to be 5 pages long in google docs. damn. anyway, enjoy!

Schlatt woke up rather early that morning. Well, earlier than he had been waking up for the past few days.

Tubbo was coming home today! He would never admit it, like always, but he was happy to be getting his son back. Yes, he could’ve visited any time and he got to call him, but he didn’t want Quackity to be right for once… even though he was. He ignored the fast pace of his heart as he thought about the inevitability of giving the child away. This was only day six of not waking up with Tubbo in the house- what would he feel like after two weeks? Two months?

_ 8:37 AM.  _ It wasn’t early at all. He didn’t give Quackity a specific time to come over with Tubbo, but he figured he would come with the boy sometime around noon. Fine by Schlatt, it just meant he had more time to himself. 

_ Time by myself… _

Maybe he should just leave him with Quackity. The kid was happy on the phone, he never said he missed his dad,  _ and  _ he was learning new fucking languages. Schlatt couldn’t do that! Sure, he knew a bit of Spanish, but it was mostly just the flirty terms. He didn’t want to teach his son to say shit like “you’re looking hella fine.” He and Quackity would joke-flirt all the time, but Tubbo didn’t need to be a part of that. 

Not only was Tubbo learning a new language, but he also was taught how to fucking roller skate. Schlatt looked in his old shit to see what cool old hobbies he could find of his, and one of the only things he found was his old skateboard. That thing had  _ miles  _ on it, and Tubbo was still so little- he couldn’t skate like that yet. And it’s not like he could plan on teaching him when he’s older, because he’ll be-

… Yeah. Most likely.

He also found some old canvases and painting palettes. He had completely forgotten that he and Quackity used to go to abandoned places and just paint together. They used to go after school, sometimes even during. As he thought about it, sure enough, he found some old paintings, some even unfinished. He laughed at the fact that Quackity didn’t have a signature, that he had just signed his name in big block letters on the bottom. Opposed to Schlatt’s which had a beautifully looped cursive signature. He used to tease Quackity for it.

He could teach the kid to paint one of these days? Maybe like, with his fingers or some shit. He would have to buy some paint- all he had was the expensive acrylic stuff, and he would rather give it to Quackity to use than to let his gremlin child dip his fingers in it. But no, painting was a great idea. A good way for self expression- Quackity’s mom always used to say that. She was the reason Schlatt did half the fun shit he did- that and she taught him Spanish as well. He loved that woman, she might as well be his own mother.

He didn’t find anything else that was as interesting, but he kept what he did find out for some other day. He could be a cool dad… he could be as cool as Quackity. He didn’t want Tubbo not wanting to be home anymore. He was sure that his kid didn’t even cry  _ once  _ when he thought of home. Why would he have? Look at the place, Schlatt would tell himself. Look at it. It’s a mess. Well- it wasn’t anymore really. He had time to dust and clean for once. The furniture was all rearranged; he hoped Tubbo would like it. The alcohol smell no longer stained the walls, and he actually threw an essential oil scented thing in the kitchen and bathroom. Hell yeah! Schlatt didn’t think the house was bound to stay like this forever but… at least it would be nice for a week or so. He wanted to do his best to keep the kid home as long as possible, maybe only going to Quackity’s for only a day next time.

When Schlatt realized he was fiddling around the house and making sure everything was perfect for his literal toddler son, he made himself sit down and have a glass of whiskey. Why the fuck was he so concerned with what Tubbo thought of the house when he got back? He was  _ three,  _ he probably wouldn’t even notice anything. 

Maybe Schlatt knew that deep down he was worried that Tubbo wouldn’t want to come back home when he came back. Maybe he got a taste of the good life and would want to stay with Quackity, leaving Schlatt with just visitation rights, despite him being the fucking father. Maybe it hurt so bad to think about because he really was trying his best, no matter how gloomily he tried to look at the situation. He tried to persuade himself that he didn’t care everyday when in reality he really,  _ really  _ did. No one could know though, because then they would just pity the man. He didn’t want pity. He certainly didn’t  _ need  _ pity. 

He also certainly didn’t want to think about how when he was on the phone with the boy, he wanted to ask him about everything and anything he did. But he didn’t. Why? Because he knew Quackity would hear it, he knew his son would hear it, he knew  _ he himself  _ would hear it. It was so dumb, he though, how he just couldn’t allow himself to love anyone. It even took him forever to accept Quackity into his life as a fucking child. He was told to be concerned about only himself and no one else. Quackity broke that barrier just a little bit. Now his son was tearing down all the walls, and the man wasn’t quite ready for that. Of  _ course  _ he loved Tubbo, but he would never tell himself that. At least not now. 

_ “Hey man, you know I care about you, right?”  _ Alex had said once when Schlatt got the news that the girl he hooked up with was pregnant.

Schlatt had only stared at him for a good few seconds, tears threatening to fall down his face. No one had ever said that before. He only hoped Quackity knew he felt the same way about him, because he was never able to say it.

_ This fucking sucks.  _ Anytime he would attempt to think about saying how he felt, he would stuff it back down into his chest, like he was taught. He wouldn’t fuck up like that with Tubbo, though. No, anytime he sensed something was wrong, he urged Tubbo to talk it out. He never told him that crying was for girls, he never told him that saying how you felt was for sissies. He  _ always  _ asked what was wrong, and asked how he could help resolve the situation.

He almost missed the heavy knocking at the door that was accompanied by tiny hollow knocks- those ones were much more rapid. 

Schlatt quickly ditched his alcohol in the sink and walked to the door after giving himself a once-over. He looked pretty alright for someone who was just thinking about how shallow they were. 

He opened the door and wasn’t sure why he was surprised when Tubbo jumped up into his arms, squealing. Wait-  _ Tubbo!  _

Schlatt was kicked out of his stupid daze and squeezed the child back, not caring for once what anyone around him might think. His kid was back, oh his kid was back! The bee, the books, the laughter, the one thing that brightened the house when the lights were dim. It was all back. Not to mention Quackity could resume making breakfast for them again now that Tubbo was back. 

“Hey bud, did you have a good time at Quackity’s?” The man asked, taking Tubbo inside while Quackity followed.

“Uh-huh! I learned Spanish, and how to roll on my feets! And the word ‘dammit’!” Tubbo exclaimed, pressing the plush bee to Schlatt’s face.

“Nice! Wait- no! No, that’s not good. We don’t say those words.” Schlatt shot Quackity a look.

“You curse in front of him all the time,” Quackity pointed out, taking a seat on the chair. 

“Yeah, but he knows not to repeat what I say.” 

Quackity rolled his eyes. 

“I missed you, I made this for you!” Tubbo wiggled out of Schlatt’s arms and ran to the bag that Quackity was carrying.

Wait- did he say he missed Schlatt?

“You missed me?” Schlatt asked.

“Uh-huh! Here!” Tubbo didn’t notice Schlatt’s face of shock as he handed him the drawing of him, Quackity and Tubbo. 

Schlatt took the paper, looking it over with his mouth still agape slightly. The scribbles, which Schlatt knew to represent words, obviously said something, so he turned to Quackity to translate. 

“Oh, uh, he wrote ‘I love you, Papa,’ in Spanish.” Quackity gave Tubbo a pat on the back.

“Uh-huh!” Tubbo smiled, patting Schlatt’s knee that he was standing next to as Schlatt was sitting on the couch. “This is a sofá,” the child said, going to pat on the cushion. 

Schlatt cracked a smile at the picture, and cleared his throat. 

“Wow, this is great, Tubbo. Thank you.” He was honestly speechless, Tubbo made this willingly? Just- out of the blue? “You guys did crafts and such?”

“Oh, no, he just sat at the table one day and started scribbling. I was making food. I had no idea.” Quackity was munching on the chips he brought over, and Tubbo was trying to get into the bag. 

“Oh,” Schlatt swallowed. “Wow.”

He could see Quackity’s dumb smile in the corner of his eye as he looked on at the picture. He felt the walls looking at him too, smiling at him. They were just as happy as he was on the inside. They weren’t so alone,  _ he  _ wasn’t so alone. They were alive again, just like he was. How stupid, to miss a thing so much for such a short amount of time. 

“Did you have any plans for lunch? We could all go to that park at my place.” Quackity was handing Tubbo chips to snack on.

“Oh, we don’t have a carseat, remember? It’s not within walking distance.” Schlatt kept the picture in his shaking hands.

“Oh right, I got a carseat. It’s already in my car, remind me to give it back to you.” Quackity rolled the chips bag up and set Tubbo down on his lap.

Schlatt’s eyebrows raised and he shook his head slightly. Damn, new surprises, new surprises. 

“How much fucking money did you spend, Alex? I could like, pay you back or something.”

“It doesn’t matter. Do you wanna go or not? Tubbo didn’t get to play there really, some girl pushed him down.”

“Some girl did what?” Schlatt’s voice was gravel.

“Oh, just an older kid. He was learning to skate, she thought it would be funny or something. I don’t know. The mom was a real piece of work, though.”

“Huh,” Schlatt looked down at the picture, then up to his boy, who was poking at the wrinkles in Quackity’s sweater. “Well then yeah, let’s go. Jesus, my kid didn’t even get to have fun? He was just bullied?” Schlatt teased. 

“What? No no- he was skating for a bit!” Quackity laughed.

“Just said ‘fuck it’ and came home, huh? I’m driving, I hate you.”

Quackity laughed, taking Tubbo in his arms with the bag and followed Schlatt out the door. 

“He had a good time, I swear!”

That night, Schlatt tucked Tubbo in and read him a story goodnight. When he was sure Tubbo was sleeping, he moved the kid’s hair out of his face gently and gave his forehead a pat. 

This thing was  _ his child.  _ That was pretty cool, he thought. He rose from the bed to prevent himself from thinking anymore, and he made his way out to the living room. The walls greeted him with a smug smile, but he didn’t care. His son was back, and for the time being, he was glad. The house seemed more lively, he couldn’t explain it. Even when the kid was sleeping the house was awake. It was wild. 

Schlatt’s back hit the couch and he pulled the two blankets over his body before he closed his eyes, but shortly after, he heard shuffling coming towards him. 

He cracked his eyes open and saw Tubbo with his bee in his arms, and the child climbed onto the couch with tears coming down his face, but he said nothing. Instead he just nestled into Schlatt’s arms and made himself comfortable, despite Schlatt now being pushed all the way to the back of the damn couch. He stifled a laugh and just let the kid be. He couldn’t believe it- Tubbo  _ actually  _ missed him. It wasn’t so cold anymore. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! any requests/suggestions for dadschlatt? headcanons? leave them in the comments! <3


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